No. 3022

Crusts of Pineapple, Apricot Sauce

Croutes aux Ananas, Sauce d'Abricots

Cut from cooked savarin some slices three-eighths of an inch thick; from these remove some rounds three inches in diameter; divide these in two through the center and notch them on their convex side. Arrange these slices shaped like cocks'-combs on a baking sheet, dredge them over with sugar, and glaze in a brisk oven; cover them on the unglazed side with strawberry marmalade strained through a sieve, and lay on each one a fine slice of preserved pineapple; decorate the borders of the crusts reaching out beyond the pineapple with angelica lozenges and candied cherries cut in four, then dress them on a dish in a circle, one overlapping the other. Fill the hollow of the circle with candied fruits cut in dice, such as apricots, pears, greengages, green almonds, candied cherries, orange peel and angelica, the whole washed in warm water, and then mingled with apricot marmalade (No. 3675) flavored with kirsch; heat the dish after it is dressed in the oven for ten minutes. Serve an apricot kirsch sauce (No. 3001) separately.

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For the Modern Kitchen

A composed dessert built on slices of leftover savarin, glazed with sugar and dressed with preserved fruit. The work is assembly rather than cooking, and it depends on having the two cross-referenced components — apricot marmalade and an apricot-kirsch sauce — ready before you start.

Start with stale savarinA savarin is a yeast-raised ring cake, the same dough as a baba, baked without the raisins. Day-old cake cuts far more cleanly into 3/8-inch slices; fresh crumb will tear when you stamp the rounds. A plain brioche loaf or a firm pound cake will stand in if you are not baking a savarin for the purpose.
"Brisk oven"Read this as 425–450F. The point is to caramelize the dredged sugar quickly into a glaze; a slower oven dries the cake through before the surface takes color. A broiler or a kitchen torch does the same job with more control, and takes under a minute.
The cocks'-comb shapeCut 3-inch rounds, halve each one, and notch the curved edge with the tip of a knife or a small round cutter so it reads as a scalloped comb. The recipe glazes one face and spreads the other with marmalade, then shingles the pieces in a ring, so the notched arc is what shows.
Strained strawberry marmaladeNineteenth-century "marmalade" means any thick fruit paste, not necessarily citrus. Sieving removes the seeds and gives a glue that holds the pineapple slice in place. A good strawberry preserve, warmed and pushed through a fine sieve, is the direct equivalent.
Angelica and greengagesCandied angelica stem is the green confection used for the lozenge borders; it is still sold by baking suppliers, and candied citron or thin strips of green candied melon can replace it. Greengages are a small green plum, known in France as reine-claude; any candied plum or apricot serves.
Why the candied fruit is washedGlacé fruit carries a heavy syrup coating that would thin the apricot marmalade and make the center soupy. A quick rinse in warm water and a thorough drain leaves the dice clean enough to bind properly.
The cross-referencesNo. 3675 is the book's apricot marmalade and No. 3001 its apricot kirsch sauce; consult those entries rather than assuming their make-up. A thick sieved apricot preserve and a thinner pouring sauce of the same fruit will stand in. Kirsch flavors both here.
Final heating and yieldFinal heating -- The recipe gives no temperature for the final heating; the ten minutes is only to warm the assembled dish through — longer and the glaze softens and the decorations slide. No quantities or yield are stated.

A Little History

This is entry No. 3022 in Charles Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894), the enormous compendium he assembled from more than thirty years as chef at Delmonico's in New York. The cro avut avte desserts avu2014 a whole run of them in this section, including crusts with bananas avu00e0 la Panama avu2014 belong to a thrifty branch of grande cuisine: they are often said to make use of savarin and baba trimmings, which stale fast and slice better for it, turning the pastry cook's leftovers into something that reads as elaborate. The vocabulary of the shaping, en cr avu00eate de coq or cocks'-comb, was standard garnish language in French kitchens of the period. What dates the dish most is the ring of candied fruit at its center: preserved pineapple, greengages, green almonds and angelica were expensive imported goods, and seven kinds appear at once on the plate.